Rail-joint.



P. L. SMITH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION rum) FEB. 2, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

ZBHEETS- SHEET 1 I J M P. L. SMITH.

' Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lliii til til

@TATE PATENT ()FETCE.

PER-RY L. SMITH, F LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.

BAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PERRY L. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Las Vegas, in the county of Clark and State of Nevada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints or splices, and it has for its object to produce a device of this class of simple and inexpensive construction which shall be adapted to be used in connection with modern rails and which may be readily applied and put into use without necessitating the employment of skilled labor and also without absolutely necessitating the use of bolts to connect the rail ends with the joint.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of the class referred to which may be composed of a single integral piece and which, when applied, will materially strengthen and reinforce the rails at the points where strength is most needed.

With these and other ends in View which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired.

in the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the preferred construction of the improved rail joint. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the inner side of the joint and of a rail, the joint being shown in the process of being applied. Fig. t is a side elevation showing the outer side or face of the joint, and showing the same provided with belt holes whereby it may be connected with the rail ends. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view showing a modified construction of the joint under which said joint is composed of two pieces, the inner flangc eing detachable. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of a modification Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914;.

Serial No. 674,863.

under which the joint is composed of three pieces, both flanges being detachable.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The improved rail joint comprises in its construction a base plate A, an inner flange B and an outer flange (1. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to at, inclusive, the base plate and the flanges are formed in a single integral piece. The base plate 1- is of a width considerably exceeding the width of the flange l of an ordinary rail which is shown in several of the figures and which in addition to the flange 1 comprises a web 2 and a head 3. The top face of the rear head is beveled in two directions, as shown at 3, 8 in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, from the central ridge portion 3 this being th ordinary well known modern construction whereby a rail head of symmetrical shape is made to conform to the beveled tread of the car wheel indicated at 3 in Fig. 2. The base plate A of the improved joint may be of any desired length, and it is preferably made long enough to rest upon at least two ties, indicated at 4, the device being in practice secured upon such ties by means of spikes 5 for the accommodation of which notches 6 are formed in the side edges of the base plate A.

The inner flange B which rises from the base plate A is of a length coinciding with the length of the base plate, and said flange comprises an upwardly extending portion 7 lying adjacent to the inner edge of the rail flange 1, a laterally extending portion 8 lying adjacent to the upper face of the rail flange 1 and an upwardly extending portion 9 lying adjacent to the inner face of the rail web 2 between the upper face of the flange 1 and the under face of the head 3, said rail head being thus supported and reinforced without any obstruction being presented to the wheel flanges of rolling stock passing over the track.

The outer flange C is of a length considerably exceeding the length of the base plate A with which it is associated and from which it projects upwardly slightly above the level of the upper face or tread of the rail head 3, said flange having an upper face or tread portion 10 whereby the rail head is reinforced. This tread portion, as will be best seen in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, is slightly inclined in the direction of the rail head 3, being disposed exactly in the same plane as the downwardly slanting or beveled inner portion 8 of the top face 01 said rail head so that the beveled tread 1''? of a wheel W riding thereon, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, will be supported partly upon the rail head and partly upon the inclined face or tread portion 10 of the flange member C. The latter will thus materially relieve the rail ends from the direct weight of the rolling stock and will obviate low joints and the injurious bumping and pounding caused thereby. The ends of the flange member C are slightly beveled, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 4 of the drawings, to terminate at the level of the rail head, thus enabling the car wheels to ride smoothly upon the flange members C *ithout the slightest tendency to pound against the ends of the latter. The beveled ends 20 are arranged at a suitable distance from the ties 4: upon which the base A rests and the flange member C, terminating a distance beyond the opposite ends of said base permits or" a limited yielding movement of said ends, so that the desired amount of elasticity is provided both the members C and the rails at the ends of said members C, so that the wheels of the rolling stock will pass over the joint without danger of breakage to the joint or injury to said wheels. The flange C which is of massive construction includes an inwardly offset portion 11 abutting upon the outer face of the rail web 2 and filling the space between said rail web, the underside of the rail head and the upper. face of the rail flange adjacent to the outer side of the web. It will be seen that the flange C extends a sufficient distance to afford a very material support for the portions of the rails engaged thereby.

In the operation of the improved device, the chair or joint is applied to a rail, shown at D in Fig. 3, by sliding it along the same until the next rail, shown at E, may be placed in position. The joint is now slid or moved back until the proximate rail ends meet about midway between the ends of the base plate A, causing the rail ends to be bridged by the outer flange member C which as previously stated partly supports the wheels of the rolling stock. The joint is now secured in position upon the ties by means of the spikes 5 engaging the notches 6, thus completing the joint or connection of the rail ends. Bolts may be entirely dispensed with, if desired, it being found that the rail ends will be held with absolute security by means of the chair constituting the improved joint. hen bolts are used, as shown for instance in Fig. 4, a single bolt for each rail end is all that will be needed, and holes for the passage of such bolts will be formed in the flanges B and C to register with corresponding apertures in the webs of the rails.

'Wlien desired, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, one of the flanges may be made separate from the base plate. Tt is to be understood that either the inner or the outer 7c flange may be made separate, but for purposes of illustration the inner flange has been shown separate, said flange being connected detachably with the base plate by means of the bolts 5. Under the construction shown in Fig. 6, both the inner and the outer flanges B and C are made separate from the base plate with which they are connected by means of bolts 15 and 16, as shown. By reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, it will be noted that the underfaces of the base members A are provided with bosses having angular faces and that the openings in said faces are arranged at an angle so that the heads of the bolts will lie flush with the angular faces of the bosses. The openings for the bolts are so disposed as to permit of the bolts contacting with the lower longitudinal edges of the rails, and the flange members of the joint have their openings also at an angle in a plane with the angular openings in the base members A. The angular openings in the inner flange member B communicate with the outer faces thereof at their upper and outer longitudinal edges, so that the securing nuts for the bolts will not only contact with the horizontal flanged portions of said member B, but also with the inner flanged edge of the base A. By such an arrangement, it will be noted that the securing elements exert an inward and downward pressure upon both the inner and outer flanges from opposite directions, so that the flanges B and C will be tightly forced into contact with the walls providing the fishing spaces upon the opposite sides of the rails, and the necessity of the employment of securing elements passing through the vertical members of the flanges and through the webs of the rails is eflectively dispensed with. When the rail joint is thus made of a plurality of separable parts or members, such parts or members may be assembled prior to the application of the joint to the rails or during the process of applying the joint, as may be preferred. it will be seen that the shape of the complete device is identical whether it be formed or constructed of one or a plurality of pieces or members. In any case the base plate atfords a rigid support for the meeting rail ends, thus preventing the liability of the rail ends being depressed or forced downwardly, thus making a low joint. The inner flange B supports the rail heads of meeting rail ends at the point where strength and reinforcement is most needed, and the outer flange furnishes an auxiliary tread which takes the strain in a great measure ofl the rail heads at the meeting ends of the rails. A joint is thus produced which is not liable to be weakened or deteriorated by any amount of travel, and the joint is one which may be easily applied or replaced by unskilled labor.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new, is

In a rail joint, two rail ends, a base plate upon which the rails rest having one of its longitudinal edges flanged, and being provided with a rail engaging flange upon its opposite edge, the last mentioned flange including a crest which is arranged for the greater part of its length above the heads of the rails and which has its bearing face at its ends inclined below the plane of the heads of the rails, and the said ends extending beyond the opposite ends of the base plate, an inner flange member of a length corresponding with the length of the base and engaging the fishing spaces of the rails upon the inner faces of the rails and having its longitudinal edge abutting with the flange upon the inner edge thereof, said base having angularly arranged openings which have their inner walls disposed at the juncture of the longitudinal edges of the base flanges of the rails seated upon the said plate, the rail engaging flange memhere being provided with registering inclined openings, the openings of the inner flange ineinber communicating with the outer longitudinal edge thereof, bolts passing through the registering openings, nuts for the bolts, and the nuts for the bolts upon the inner sides of the rails contacting with the flanged edge of the base, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

PERRY L. SMITH.

\Vitnesses:

JOSEPH G. LARANEY, HARRY E. MATHEWS.

Gomez 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

